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When it comes to a home, it’s hard to tick off all the criteria on your checklist. From cost and location to size and layout, there’s a lot to consider. Then, there’s vastu (a traditional Hindu system of architecture believed to bring balance to a home). However, with growing space constraints, urban living often leaves little room for consideration for vastu. If you’ve been there, suffered that, this guide has you covered, with solutions to fix vastu problems in your home – all without making any structural changes.

The entryway
If your home features a wall opposite the main door, keeping it bare can act as a barrier for incoming positive energy. If you’re renting or are wary of damaging your walls with nails, display an idol of Lord Ganesha or hang a Sri Yantra emblem to rectify the energy equilibrium. Another element considered an annihilator of positive energy is a water body just outside the main door, so if you have a small fountain or other decorative water element flanking your entryway, it’s best to move it indoors.

The doors
Smooth-working, inward-opening doors are thought to welcome positive energy indoors. Check which way your doors open. If any doors on the exterior open outwards, call in a carpenter and have the direction changed to inwards. Also, make a habit of oiling your hinges at regular intervals, so they don’t creak, and seal gaps in your doors as soon as they appear.

The number of doors in your house should be an even number, but not ending in zero. It should not be an odd number. You can achieve the ideal number by blocking a door or two with an almirah or screen, as a blocked door does not count as one. Another remedy is to put a copper strip across the threshold or lintel of the door, as that negates the opening.

The bedrooms
As far as bedroom layouts go, avoid placing your bed directly under a beam or opposite the bedroom door, as these are associated with bad fortune and negative health respectively. Move your bed to either side of the beam, and away from the door. It is advisable to have the head pointing east or south.

The pooja room
A pooja room is a sacred harbour that can cocoon your home in positivity. The ideal location for a place of worship is in the east or northeast section of your home, with the mandir on the east wall. If your home doesn’t come with a prayer or pooja room, take heart. Install a shelf or small altar in the east or northeast to serve as a temple of worship. Point your idols and photographs westward, and make sure you face north or east during prayer. If you decide to incorporate your prayer space inside your bedroom, it is recommended to be on the east wall and should have a curtain in front that is kept drawn when the mandir is not in use. In this case, you should sleep with your head pointing eastward.

Leaking taps
Leaking taps can symbolise an outflow of harmony, peace and balance from your home’s sanctuary. Check all your taps regularly for leaks, and get faulty ones fixed immediately.

Mirrors and accents
Vastu highlights the importance of keeping all rooms well-lit, clean and clutter-free. It also discourages the placement of mirrors on the west or south walls of your home, as this is thought to deflect positive energy (north and east walls are best for mirrors). Broken mirrors are considered a bad omen, so it’s best to toss out chipped mirrors that have seen better days. If you like to display family photographs, hang them on south-western walls, as it helps strengthen family bonds.

Heavy furniture
According to vastu, the best way to optimise energy flow within your home is to keep heavy furniture, such as large cupboards and beds, in the southwest portion of each room. If this isn’t an option, furniture kept in the north or north-east should have its base raised 1–3 inches off the floor.